French anti-terrorism police arrested five suspected Islamic extremists on Tuesday, accusing them of posting comments on radical websites calling for jihad. The five, all French-born men aged between 25 and 30, were arrested in simultaneous dawn raids in Marseille, Brittany and the Paris suburbs. Police are also speaking to a sixth person, a woman, as a witness.The five men allegedly posted several contributions to online forums in which they defended jihad and called for believers to participate in the holy war against non-Muslims. The postings amounted to "jihadist indoctrination", according to one source connected to the inquiry.
The arrests form part of an investigation first opened in 2008 by the Paris anti-terrorism unit. All five men have been remanded in custody and their homes and computers searched for evidence.
Under France's anti-terrorism laws, suspects may be detained for four days without charge, at which point they must either be released or sent before a judge.